Corvette C7 Z06 Coming to Detroit Auto Show in January 2014?

While the first 2014 Corvettes haven’t even hit dealership lots yet, we’re already looking forward to what should be a slew of variants GM is sure to offer Corvette fans. We already know that the limited Premiere Edition Corvette is now available for order, and another stalwart moniker from the Corvette’s long history may make its debut in the next six months.

Goodbye, C6 Z06… time to hand over the baton to the next generation race car for the street.

Jalopnik hears tell that the Corvette C7 Z06 could be introduced as soon as January of 2014, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This has led to speculation regarding a C7 Z06’s power output, and we know how much you love speculative Corvette rumors.

There is good reason to believe that the Corvette Z06 could be revealed in Detroit next year; chief among them is that it will have been a full year since the C7 first broke cover. GM is a big fan of the Detroit Auto Show, holding some of its biggest reveals of the year there. But GM has also suffered a few notable setbacks at Detroit, with Ford stealing a show that was supposed to be about GM’s all-new pickups.

With the 2015 Mustang set to debut sometime in the next year, GM might want to hold off on their next big performance car reveal until after Mustang mania has subsided. On the other hand, maybe they want to get the first shot off, and steal some of Ford’s buzz with what could be a 550+ horsepower C7 Z06. 100 horsepower over the stock Corvette LT1 engine isn’t asking too much in a Z06, is it?